The present invention relates to the field of knee supports.
In many athletic activities the knee joint is subjected to extraordinary strain and tension. The knees may also be subjected to sudden blows or impacts.
Knee braces have been developed to simulate the natural adduction and abduction of the leg while providing lateral stability at the knee joint. Such structures often are comprised of two hinged plates that are strapped to the lateral and medial sides of the knee by an elastic band. Such supports are serviceable to provide lateral stability but, due to the rigid metallic construction, do not easily conform to lateral expansion of the skin and surface tissues at the knee and will therefore chafe against the knee during active use. The metallic structures have to be precisely positioned with respect to the several axes of rotation for the knee or they will move longitudinally upon flexion and extension, chafing in another direction.
Flexible knee pads have been developed in conjunction with an elastic strap for mounting the pads to the wearer's knees. Such pads typically extend from positions well above the distal end of the femur to ends well below the proximal end of the tibia. Flexible knee pads are essentially bulky and cover only the anterior portion of the knee, leaving the lateral, medial and posterior areas unprotected. Flexible knee pads also hamper normal flexion of the knee.
The sport of football is notable for the use of knee pads and also for knee injuries. Various institutions, particularly college and secondary schools, explicitly require the use of knee pads as part of the football player's gear. Typically, the conventional form of football knee pad is a somewhat circular pad of resilient foam material fitted within a pocket in the pants and held in place either by tape or by an elastic band. Again, such pads do not offer lateral protection to the knee or any form of protection at other than the anterior surfaces. Of course the additional forms of knee braces are also used, especially in cases of weak knees or previous injuries where the player's knees require additional support or protection.
Conventional pads and braces are designed to either support or protect the wearer's knee but seldom are both features to be found in a single arrangement. Existing pads and support arrangements will continually ride up or down the wearer's leg, causing him to continually reach down to adjust the brace to its proper position. The presence of a pad or brace can also break the wearer's concentration and therefore affect his performance.
The present knee support was conceived to provide protective padding and knee bracing functions in order to both protect and stabilize the wearer's knee in virtually any active sport.